Living Arrangements

Living Arrangements is a new short story by Alistair Morgan about a woman who discovers an uninvited guest in her home. The author was inspired by two incidents. The first was "a news story about a man in Japan who discovered a woman secretly living in his apartment. He found her by setting up cameras after noticing his food was disappearing. The second was last year’s outbreak of violence in South Africa. Immigrants from neighbouring countries were attacked and killed after being accused of stealing local jobs."

Commissioned by David Killen for Prospect magazine.

The BMX Bandit

From a distance, people often think there's something seriously wrong with Benjamin's face. It's only when they get up close, and look past the baggy jeans, hooded top, and low-slung BMX, that they realise he's 43. Benjamin works for a design agency in East London and carries a record bag. He rides on the pavement, and if people get in his way he'll shout something like “gnarly!” or “yo!” At the weekends, Benjamin and his friend Jeremy used to like going to London's South Bank, to hang out with teenage skateboarders. They haven't been for a while, though, ever since Jeremy caught a gnarly air and wiped out, big-time. The doctors say he might need a new hip.

Commissioned by The Times to illustrate a selection of biker tribes for The Great Outdoors supplement.

The Urban Speedster

Clive has a pink, all-in-one lycra leotard, and doesn't see why he ought to be ashamed about that. His bicycle cost many thousands of pounds, and is made of the same sort of stuff as badminton racquets. Clive rides his bicycle every day but, at the weekend, instead of cycling at high speed to his job in the City, he'll cycle at high speed to a bicycle shop. Here, he will spend many more thousands of pounds having bits removed from his bicycle, and replaced by other bits that are almost, but not entirely, exactly the same. Clive's bicycle lives in the living room, in front of the television. He has no wife.

Commissioned by The Times to illustrate a selection of biker tribes for The Great Outdoors supplement.

The Folding Commuter

In his shirt-sleeves, sensible helmet, shiny black shoes, suit trousers and restraining cycle clips, there's something about Nigel's overall cycling look that faintly screams “pervert”. Not that he cares. For him, cycling isn't about fun. It is simply an efficient way to get from his suburban semi to the station, and then from Liverpool Street to the office. Nigel has no interest in cycling culture, and is fond of telling people that being on a bike is no reason not to follow the Highway Code. All the same, he is inordinately proud of his Brompton folding bicycle. When his wife borrowed the clip-on mini-pump without telling him, he sulked for the whole weekend.

Commissioned by The Times to illustrate a selection of biker tribes for The Great Outdoors supplement.

Michael Jackson RIP